Adidas Faces Class-Action Lawsuit In Light Of Broken YEEZY Deal With Kanye West

In October last year, the first signs of a possible riff in Adidas’ partnership with Kanye West surfaced, as the sportswear giant’s repeated attempts to resolve disputes with the fashion mogul proved unsuccessful.

The nail in the coffin for the lucrative collaboration came when the rapper made a string of public controversial hate comments, with Adidas deciding to terminate the Adidas x YEEZY collection altogether.

However, it seems the saga has yet to end, as Adidas investors recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in light of the fallout, alleging brand executives were aware of the risks of working with West “as early as 2018.”

In short, the lawsuit is placing the blame on senior personnel—including Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer and former CEO Kasper Rørsted—for ignoring warning signs that the partnership could have reached its disastrous end.

According to Complex, the filing pointed out that despite the incredible success of the YEEZY collaborations, the brand had failed to enact “meaningful precautionary measures” to limit the negative financial impact it would face if the collaboration were to suddenly come to an end.

Previously, after the deal dissolved, Adidas revealed it was planning to retail YEEZY sneakers without West’s branding, though it appears that has yet to come to fruition.

In a statement to CNN, the brand rejected the “unfounded claims” of the lawsuit and is preparing to defend itself.

[via Complex and The Guardian, cover image via Mariakray | Dreamstime.com and Featureflash | Dreamstime.com]